BNSF trains on acid; thousands stranded

[Chris30]

Metra was forced to run an altered Friday morning schedule on the BNSF Racetrack due to a shortage of crews (12 hr rest for a lot of crews).

Just to add to the comment about getting the powder airborne, Metra also didn't want to run trains through the area because of concerns about the powder getting into the ventilation system of each passing train.

Metra couldn't bus people around the affected area because they didn't have enough equipment on the other side (west of Downer's Grove). One drawback to the BNSF Racetrack is the lack of connections to possibly reroute the Metra trains around an emergency like this one. Yes, Metra will reroute trains for a signifigant delay during the morning or evening rush. About ten years ago UP (ex-CNW) NW Line evening rush express trains were diverted to the UP West Line, through Proviso Yard, up the New Line to Seeger (Mt Prospect area) and back onto the NW Line (Harvard Sub) to get around a gas leak near the tracks in Edison Park (?) (Chicago).

120 trains on the Racetrack? That seems a little high. It was my understanding that since the BNSF merger a lot of freight traffic had moved over to the ex-SF Chilli Sub between the Chicago area and Galesburg. Most of the remaining freight on the Racetrack is freight that goes via the C&I to Savannah, Mpls, pacific NW, etc. The Chief was moved from the SF to the BN Racetrack more-or-less making the SF the freight line & the BN Racetrack the passenger line.

CC

[n012944]

Metra did not do well with situation. I know someone who was on his way home when this happend. Metra made eveyone get off the train at Belmont and just left them there. He told me there were around a thousand people at the station with confused looks on their faces. Anytime a taxi came around a hundred people ran it down. Now I know that this was an emergancy, but you would think that Metra would have some sort of plans in place for something along these lines. It reminded me of when the CA&E shut down, they brought everyone downtown in the morning, and at 12:00 noon stoppped running, leaving everyone to find there own way home.

Bert

[TomDiehl]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hugh Jampton

QUOTE: Originally posted by Poppa_Zit

[b]MODEL TRAIN TIE-IN: Stearic acid is often correctly identified as the cause of the famous "white crud" on wheels and plastic train cars (at least on some of my Gilbert American Flyer). It can be removed by gently warming with a hair dryer and polished-off with a microfiber cloth.

Maybe you should forward this info to BNSF so they can clean the stuff of their wheels..

But I thought the BNSF DID use metal wheels. [?]

[eolafan]

Perhaps the locomotives on the train that "dropped the acid" were built in the 1960's...this seems to make sense to me...DUDE[xx(]

[Hugh Jampton]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Poppa_Zit

[b]MODEL TRAIN TIE-IN: Stearic acid is often correctly identified as the cause of the famous "white crud" on wheels and plastic train cars (at least on some of my Gilbert American Flyer). It can be removed by gently warming with a hair dryer and polished-off with a microfiber cloth.

Maybe you should forward this info to BNSF so they can clean the stuff of their wheels..

[Anonymous]

Some trains this morning(Friday) are also being affected as cleanup continues. An updated article this A.M. from the suburban paper.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=199789

This should be an interesting morning for train watching, but I think I'll stay upwind of the racetrack.

[canazar]

Wow, ain't that a kicker.

[Poppa_Zit]

BULLETIN from the Poppa_Zit newsdesk......

DOWNERS GROVE, IL --- (June 15) About 4:30 pm today, multiple bags of stearic acid powder dropped from a freight train onto the triple-track mains of BNSF's Chicago Racetrack. The powder was discovered from the Cicero railyard all the way west to Downers Grove, a distance of about 14 miles. Some bags burst upon impact, and when the white material was discovered on the tracks a HazMat emergency was declared. All train activity in both directions on the mainline was immediately halted. It took nearly an hour to identify the substance.

Exacerbating the problem was that it happened at the beginning of rush hour, and an estimated 15,000 Metra commuters were stranded. Eastbound trains were halted at the Belmont station and westbounds were held at Westmont. A westbound Amtrak train believed to be the Southwest Chief was stopped at Metra's Fairview Avenue station. Numerous freights were also stacked up in both directions.

Thousands of passengers were seen milling about the station platforms, using cellphones in an effort to find alternative transportation. A few buses were seen loading passengers to shuttle them around the area cordoned-off by police and fire officials, which centered around Downers Grove's Main Street station. However, once the substance was identified, curious onlookers were allowed onto the Downers Grove station's platforms, within feet of the offending spill.

According to reports, the worst spillage was in between the Main Street and Fairview Avenue stations, although EPA and BNSF hazardous materials teams inspected all of the track on the line. Cleanup teams were working to make the area safe.

At the time of this writing (10 pm) rail traffic had just started to move through the affected area. The Chicago Racetrack is one of the busiest mains in the nation, with over 120 trains a day. Metra was warning commuters trains may not run as scheduled tomorrow (Friday) morning because it may be short of train crews.

Stearic acid is made by treating animal fats with high pressure water and is useful as an ingredient in making candles, soaps, plastics, oil pastel, cosmetics and for softening rubber. Stearic acid is used to harden soaps, particulary those made with vegetable oil, that otherwise tend to be very soft.

Stearic acid is also useful as a parting compound when making plaster castings from a plaster piece mold or waste mold and when making the mold from a shellaced clay original. In this use, powdered stearic acid is dissolved in water and the solution brushed upon the surface to be parted after casting.

MODEL TRAIN TIE-IN: Stearic acid is often correctly identified as the cause of the famous "white crud" on wheels and plastic train cars (at least on some of my Gilbert American Flyer). It can be removed by gently warming with a hair dryer and polished-off with a microfiber cloth.

Stearic acid powder, when inhaled, is a powerful irritant to the lungs and respiratory system. Officials were afraid fast-moving trains would send the spilled powder airborne.

-- Story Copyright 2006 by Poppa_Zit